Cloverfield: Some ‘Thing’ Has Found Us
NEIRAD enilno edition
Let’s start with the name of this movie: “Cloverfield.” Why is it called “Cloverfield?” One might think the title has a very interesting origin, but the true story isn’t actually all that exciting.
John Fogelman, one of the movie’s producers, originally said the name was going to be “Greyshot.” But then Fogelman got really sick of hearing the word “monster” – the woefully unoriginal name of the monster in this flick. He renamed the movie “Clover” after the California street where the film was shot. Eventually this fact was leaked to fans and thereafter they referred to the movie by its new name, “Cloverfield.”
Now, onto the plot. One of the best parts of this movie is the mystery: the viewer is truly surprised by the intrigue. For example, the trailer does not make the classic mistake of giving too much away. The viewer just gets a glimpse of people running around and a shot of the Statue of Liberty minus her famous head. The audience can safely go into the film having no idea what is going to happen. Basically, when “Cloverfield” begins it seems like it is going to be a comedy but then all of a sudden the Statue of Liberty’s head comes flying onto the street right in front of the camera. Of course, I won’t give too much away so as to extend the same pleasure of being surprised and curious throughout the whole movie as the makers intended.
If I had to try and relate “Cloverfield” to another movie or try to categorize it I wouldn’t be able to wedge the film into an easily definable genre. The cinematography is similar to “The Blair Witch Project” The monster has a Godzilla feel. The ending is similar to “I Am Legend.” Of course, that is one of the best parts of this movie: the originality.
What makes “Cloverfield” very different is that it is filmed with one camera by one of the main characters named, Hud.. This filming technique makes the viewer feel as if they are right there with Hud throughout the movie.
The same praise cannot be extended to all the acting talent on this flick. The cast is comprised of relative unknown young actors. I feel as though the only really good talent is Hud played by T.J. Miller. His face is not shown often because he is the character holding the camera the whole time. T.J. was able to retain his character’s awkward personality, even in parts where he has to be brave or save someone’s life. He still was able to convey that awkwardness in these intense parts.
I won’t give away the end, but I must say the final scenes were not great because it left me feeling shortchanged. It was very similar to “I Am Legend” in that it left me feeling disappointed and wanting more, but clearly the movie had finished. The ending was inconclusive. Two friends could both see it and yet easily draw different conclusions from “Cloverfield.”
